The Beauty of the Philippines

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River

There has been for sometime an ongoing campaign for the "New Seven Wonders of the Nature" and an online voting scheme has been set-up to support nominations. The link below -

http://www.new7wonders.com/classic/en/index/

I was never much of a competitor and to me, the world God and Nature gave ALL of us is filled with so much awe and beauty, there really shouldn't be any "popularity contest" as to which country or people has the best or most of it.

Originally, our lupang hinirang had four entries. Now it seems that the lone contender still in the running is the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park located in Palawan pictured above. The other previous nominees also derserve a mention since they are indescribeably unique and beautiful, contest or no contest.

The Tubbataha Reef located in the Sulu Sea of the Philippines. It's the country's only marine natural park and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Chocolate Hills in Bohol. So named because the more than a thousand cone-shaped green hills turn brown during the dry season.

And last but not least, the Mayon Volcano in Albay. Known to have "the most perfect cone shape".

To all foreigners and fellow Pinoy expats abroad, there's alot more to see and experience, including fun, food, and colorful festivals! Come visit us here in the Philippines!

Does Coffee Really Dehydrate?

Well now! As an admitted "caffeine junkie" averaging 4 cups a day, knowing it to be a diuretic (a substance that makes you lose water thru urination), I was pleasantly surprised about some recent findings about this long-held view. Link below -

http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22178/46361

Gonna have a cup now!

An Elusive Peace

Photo from the Associated Press

The Gaza Strip is this piece land bordering Israel and Egypt that's been the source of dispute and conflict for some time now. We've been hearing and seeing the bombings which have been relentless. Both sides claim they're in the right, yet it is Israel that seems to be the merciless aggressor since its response is immensely "disproportionate" when compared to the sporadic rockets fired on Israel by forces of Hamas, which stands as its ruling party.

Below is more info -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_strip

Here's a link to a story -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/08/aid-ceasefire-gaza-israel-palestinians

I'm not about to add to the fires with this already deteriorating situation and hundreds of lives already lost by whining about the injustice or immorality of it all. What I am asking though is that the very least, what that we can do is to PRAY that this gets crisis gets resolved at the soonest possible time. Although the political situation can not be improved any time in the forseeable future, the bombings have to stop!

An FMA Legend

A brief clip of the legendary Antonio "Tatang" Illustrisimo, Founder and Grandmaster of the art of Kalis Illustrisimo (Note the disarm with the elbow at 0:52 sending the stick flying hitting another guy!)





Flowing, effortless, efficient.

Old Meeting the New: When Cultures Collide

An inescapable fundamental in our existence has always been change. Everything evolves, develops or turns into something else. True, there are some traditions, ideas, methods or ways of living that are "empty" or meaningless, becoming an anachronism as time goes by. These need to be discarded. Yet on the other side of the equation, when something new comes along, is it really the necessary or even welcome kind?

Case in point: the apparent rise of youth problems in Greenland -

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081227/tls-denmark-greenland-child-sex-abuse-aeafa1b.html

It actually reminded me of something disturbingly familiar I had read some time ago about the small, land-locked, South Asian nation of Bhutan. It also faced similar societal challenges brought about by its opening to the world -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2003/jun/14/weekend7.weekend2

In my poor and shameless attempt at being an amateur anthropologist, I tried to attribute the similar geographic remoteness or isolation of both countries that made them less susceptible to the effects of the changing world. Did the remoteness of their locations afford them not to be desensitized as much as the rest of us? Maybe all this societal deprecation falls also on the rate it has influenced these peoples' consciousness. It would seem that all these effects have been felt in less than a generation. Would a gradual introduction to the outside have had a different impact?

I think its plain to see: change does not always translate into progress.

LG Launches Video-Watch-Phone Thingy

Remember this?

New gadget sighting! Eat your heart out Dick Tracy!

Link here -

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081229/tls-skorea-it-mobile-lifestyle-aeafa1b.html

A Merry Christmas From the Grove!

If you're a Christian, this season is probably the most anticipated and most celebrated of the entire year, more so to us Filipinos who unofficially start if from September!

For Christians as the story goes, GOD in his supreme compassion for us, sent his "only begotten son" down into this world and humanity to be born in a small, obscure and impoverished part of a suffering nation. His parents weren't all that lucky either. Just an ordinary couple who didn't have much going for them; his father Yosef, a middle-aged carpenter and woodworker who worked with his hands and had a simple disposition in life. His mother was Miriam, a young girl barely out of her teens. Nothing set them up to be remarkable or different from the thousands of other poor families in rural Israel at that time.

Then comes the interesting or bewildering part of HOW he was born. As Robert Fulghum imaginatively narrated in one of his books, could you just imagine yourself in Yosef's shoes after hearing for the first time about certain upcoming events from your soon-to-be wife:

Miriam: Yosef, I'm pregnant. . .

Yosef: YOU'RE WHAAAT?!

Miriam: He's going to be GOD'S son. . .

Yosef: SO IT'S NOT MY SON BUT WHOSE???

(Thinks and after a brief pause)

Yosef: OK AND YOU'RE SAYING YOU WERE TOLD ALL OF THIS BY WHOM?!??

Miriam: An Angel named Gabriel told me this. Isn't it exciting?

ROFL!!! It's got a hint of John and Marsha comedy doesn't it? Guess what though, things turned out well in the end. The child grew-up and 2,000 years later, he is looked upon with reverence and faith by followers world-wide numbering more than a billion.

So just in case we forget, it's NOT about this guy who's being pushed by big business' commercialism and the media -

Two words: liposuction and exercise. Is he legally entering countries with a valid passport? Is he following labor policies and the rights of the elves he's employing to make all those toys? Does he have the proper permits to own flying reindeer which maybe endangered? You expect me to believe that red sack of his contains only toys?!
Hmmmm. I smell a terrorist!

It's also NOT about this -

Frankly, if we had trees like that here in our country, turning it into firewood or panggatong would be better instead. Also, we wouldn't have to feel obliged to put gifts under there to satisfy childhood greed or try to keep-up or compete with the neighbors for better-looking decorations.

We do have our own, uniquely Pinoy symbol of the season after all -

Cheap, stimulates creativity, traditional, cost-effective, environment friendly. O di ba mas OK?

Ultimately, it's about a certain birth that happened a long time ago that changed everything.