Firefly In July

I was browsing my yahoo account when I saw this video titled Ninja Cat.  I love pets and their crazy antics never fail to tickle my funny bone. Curious, I opened the video and there – I was smitten by this wickedly hilarious, innocent looking kitty.  I was laughing by the end of the clip.   Ninja’s big black unblinking eyes reminded me of Puss N’ Boots… so adorable and funny without even trying.  The clip had also invaded youtube which fortunately is easier to post here than the yahoo link:

Tags: House Pets, Ninja Cat

“The best way to make children good, is to make them happy” ~ Oscar Wilde

Before my sick leave hiatus, my teammates and I had an outreach program at Las Damas Filipinas.   It is one of the RnR activities lined up this year that I helped organized … yes, I’m proud to say that .

Las Damas  was established in the early 1900s but it is most remember from a tragic fire incident that razed it down in December 1998 killing 23 children. It is situated along Quirino Avenue Paco Manila, just a few minutes drive from our office. Its familiarity and proximity made it easy to sell the idea of charity work… besides, who could say no to bringing early Christmas to little children?

My RnR partner and I announced the plan 2 months in advance and encouraged everyone to pitch in their donations early on. But one month into the drive and our donation box was not even half full.  We needed not only goods but we were lacking of cash! The orphanage had 78 children under their care and while I was making the arrangements, the staff mentioned that we can opt not to include all the children and that it was ok, adding that the children are already used to it. Those who wont participate will just stay and play in a separate area while the rest will be having a good time with us. Huwwhhatt? We didn’t feel ok with that. Excluding anyone is definitely out of the question.

We got to have prizes for the games and loot bags for each kid. With our limited budget, there’s only one thing left to do… scour Divisoria for the most affordable stuff.

And it must be in the genes of people to bring donations at eleventh hour. The night before the activity was when candies, clothes, toiletries, and toys came pouring in.

Putting together this activity was not as easy as I thought.  The night before the trip, the entire team plunged into packing our donations and finalizing the game list.   Food to be served at the site had to be picked up early in the morning and managing time with the unpredictable traffic is one thing that I left in hands of my partner hehehe.  As we were about to depart, we were informed that we cannot take our boxes of goods out of the building without obtaining an approval from the admin office.  That was a Saturday, when people who were supposed to sign were on their day off.  Shoot!  By the time I got the darn document signed, I was already exhausted and there’s still a long day ahead of us.

It was just a minor set back and even though we were a few minutes late for the event, our enthusiasm was instantly replenished when we saw the kids patiently waiting at the hall.  Some were practicing their dances for presentation later in the program.

But imagine one active kid multiply that by 78!  Energies where shooting up the roof and one game down the lane, I was already soaked in sweat and breathing heavily.  Or am I just getting old?

It was one draining day.  We came from night shift and although sleep deprived, we all left Las Damas with a smile of fulfillment on our faces.  The children’s hugs and simple expression of thanks was worth every drop of perspiration. The ultimate reward was making them happy.. .even for just a day.

The Team (3 members on dayshift), looking fresh at 4 o’clock in the morning:

Tags: Las Damas Filipinas

I’ve been sideline for a while, silenced by another bout with migraines, coughs, and colds. I dunno if the weather has anything to do with it, or just me running low on viral resistance. I’m still talking with the ‘just-woke-up’ voice, a side effect of exhausting may throat both for breathing and taking in food…. my sinuses drove me nuts two days in a row, which left me no choice but to retreat to the comforts of my room. Sick leave it is… too sore to write anything in this page.

It doesn’t mean though that I’ve been idle since the last entry. The long planned orphanage visit by our team had finally turned into reality. The story will have to hold off just a little longer… it deserves a separate post on its own.

Several months in marathon, it’s the US politics dominating the international news.  Day in and day out, all i hear is the forthcoming presidential elections that Barack Obama and John McCain have become household names.   I don’t have anything to do with the elections anyway, Im not a US citizen and clearer than daylight, not a registered voter.  But I’ve been keeping track of the campaign mainly for the compelling debates, speeches and the occasional comical yet creative video materials such as this:

The use of the Lion King story line was ingenious! Obama’s presentation as Simba and the goat apparition as the guiding voice got me rolling with laughter.

Tags: Lion King, McCain, Obama, Simba, US Presidential Elections

Three different women with one common predicament.  All are victims of emotionally abusive relationships.

I received a text message last week from a friend that have not kept in touch for months.  After the customary hello’s and how-are-you’s she opened up that her husband had burned their house down.  At that point I realized that she needed someone to unburden her problems to and since I had nothing to do in the evening I arranged for us to meet in the nearest Starbucks.  I was taken a back when I saw her.  She looked haggard and it seemed she had aged so much from the last time I saw her.  For almost three hours I listened to tales of domestic quagmire and by the time we parted, I had a throbbing headache!

A few days after, Mark and I were dining out when we ran into a familiar face who we knew got ditched by her boyfriend for another girl.  The guy, the ex, the culprit – happen to be someone who had been nothing but good to both Mark and I so we were astounded to learn about the dark secrets of their three years of living together.  Her stories revealed a man with jealousy and temper issues… a side so alien from one who always seemed calm and compose.  So there. A sad realization that you only get to know a person’s true character after living under one roof.

And just recently, the last of the three episodes.  An unassuming wife whose husband got another woman pregnant.  The marriage has only just begun when disaster came flying faster than a speeding derailed train.

I cant delve into the details of these relationships.  They’re too depressing to even think about.  Things like this leave a deep permanent imprint that not even the longest time can erase. It engraves itself into your personal history that, though forgiven, it is simply extremely difficult to forget.

Can anyone blame these women for loving and trusting too much?  They did so believing that the men they gave their hearts to were their knights in shinning armor, the mortal incarnation of the angel they asked for in prayers.  Its cruel that often, the devil in an angel’s disguise is discovered only after tragedy has struck.

(Photo: Mark’s Diablo shirt courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.)

Tags: Diablo, Friends

Earlier to the PAWS event, my teammates and I had a mini adventure at the Manila Ocean Park.  Its the first and largest aquarium facility in the Philippines showcasing a diverse underwater life that an ordinary sea fearing homosapien like moi may never have the courage to see in their natural habitat.  Popularly known as The Oceanarium, it opened to the public early this year and it instantly became a hit.  Everybody, us included, was curious and willing to shell out P400 bucks for the two hours aquatic tour.

We wanted to avoid getting entangled with school excursions which normally happen on weekends but when we got there at opening time, we found ourselves drowning in the throng of small children, parents, nannies, and teachers.  It was like a cage of little critters unleashed at recess!

We moved along with the kids, noise and all, and before we knew it, we entered the first stage Agos (Flow).   There’s a waterfalls on one side with vines climbing up to the ceiling, giving the illusion of an inner forest and strange, exotic creatures lurking below.  The fishes were something I’ve never seen before.. not in books nor on TV.  They simply amazed me, some were hard to spot because they blended with their surroundings.  It took me more than a second look before I could distinguish them from the rocks and sea plants… at one point I came face to face with what seemed like a giant Tilapia! Yaiks!

Next stop was Bahura (Reef).  This part was enclosed in semi darkness and, thankfully, with air conditioning.  Small to medium sized aquariums lined up the walls, each containing a variety of the most fascinating creatures in the Philippine coral reef, from fishes to anemones to giant spider crabs.  That last one was creepy, and seemed lifeless.   Kinda reminded me of Shelob.  Only a restrained move every now and then gave away it’s alive and breathing.

Laot (Fishing Ground) was a wider version of Bahura and one of the most breathtaking areas of the facility.  Giant aquariums housed a large number of the most humongous groupers.  Stingrays glided on the glass exposing their “nostrils” – if that’s how they’re called – and delicate mouths.

A tunnel leading to the other wing of the Oceanarium displayed the imposing beauty of Buhay na Karagatan (The Living Ocean).   Marine animals in different shapes and sizes intermingled in the small replica of their wide abundant world… and for a second a weird thought struck me.  Fish or not, I wouldn’t be able to survive in this sea of predators.  There were just too many!  If Laot was breathtaking, Karagatan was spectacular.

The last of the large aquariums was Ang Kalaliman (The Deep)… getting acquainted with Filipino terms ha!   Now, this really gives me the creeps.   Sharks were enclosed in one tank  and since these were the biggest and deepest among all aquarium, it was dark and eerie.  I had mixed emotions not meeting my friend JAWS.  Apparently, the enclosure cannot contain his bigger than life ferocity… he’d probably devour all his hapless roommies to the bones!.  Above were countless stingrays and Talakitoks co-existing in their glass tank.

We took a few more flash-less pictures (err… so as not to agitate the animals, camera flash is not allowed but noise is!  are underwater creatures deaf?)  then we headed to the upper floor excited to see more!  It turned out, that was the final stop!  Huuwwhhhhaaattt?!  That was supposed to be two hours… how come it was over in 30 minutes! Shockers.  I should have known, hanging out with the fishes is highly encouraged to stretch the time.

I wanted to try the glass bottom boat ride or the fish spa but none of my teammates were interested.  Spirits were deflated after we emerged from the dark Kalaliman and found that was the end of our virtual life in the ocean.

Overall, it was quite an experience although it left me wanting for more.  I felt the entrance fee was expensive for the short tour… but then again, it really is expensive to maintain such a facility.  I’d still love to be back and capture the experience with more photos, even  with the lack of clarity.   Being the first of its kind in the country, the Oceanarium is already serving its purpose of educating all who come to visit  about the marine environment and the number of issues assailing it.  I’m proud that the Philippines now has its own Oceanarium to rival those of neighboring asian nations.

Tags: Manila Ocean Park, Oceanarium, Team RnR