Los Banos Flower And Garden Show 2007

We went to the University of the Philippines in Los Banos last Friday for the Los Banos Flower and Garden Show. Mom, who is an orchid aficionado, gave me some cash and told me to buy species that are hardly available in our place. Well that would be easy since the only thing available in our market are dendrobiums and vandas.

I am really not much of a plant lover but seeing all those wonderful plants made me so excited that I spent thrice my original budget. I was able to buy 7 pots of orchids: 2 established cattleyas, 2 variety of dancing lady, a vanda, a white fairy, and a phalaenopsis.

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The Never Ending Tales Of A Cenobite

I went to my second blogger meet up last Sunday night at Ayala Center. I don’t usually go on eyeballs since I am naturally shy and is only good at expressing myself in writing. However, this is one opportunity that I have decided not to miss.

Dom Lawrence, OSB ((Order of Saint Benedict)) is a Filipino Roman Catholic Benedictine monk brother of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, Abiquiu, New Mexico USA. Our paths have crossed six months ago thanks to the primitive art of blog hopping. Since then, we have regularly visited each others’ blog.

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Metrostar Ferry Sails To Cavite City

I heard from last night’s news that the Metrostar Ferry servicing from Cavite City to SM Mall of Asia and vice versa, will commence its operation today.

This will definitely be a great relief to some commuters since the point to point travel time of 1.5 to 2 hours via land will be reduced to almost half. The bad side however is that the ferry’s fare costs almost twice as much. I guess those who are seriously considering time as gold will be the ones to patronize this service.

For those who are interested in the ferry service, below are some informations that might interests you:
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Boarding the “E” Train

Featuring the song “Wait For You” by Elliott Yamin last Friday required me to do some reading for the short article I’ll be posting with it. I was intrigued with the judges good reviews on his performances and how America rallied to support him. Even Simon Cowell, known for his unsparingly blunt and often controversial criticism of the contestants, even commented that Yamin’s rendition of “A Song For You” was a “vocal masterclass.”

I am no American Idol fan so I haven’t watched any of the guy’s performances back then. So I went to the ever reliable YouTube and saw that it was indeed a great performance that even brought Paula Abdul to tears.

However, I was totally impressed and became an instant believer of the guy after watching this particular performance of his…

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La Mesa Eco Park

One might wonder why is it important to promote awareness and conservation of the La Mesa Watershed. Simply because:

The La Mesa Watershed… is the last remaining forest cover inside Metro Manila.

The La Mesa Reservoir receives water from several streams within the watershed as well as inflows coming from Angat Reservoir to the north, it provides approximately 1.5 million liters of drinking water to Metro Manila everyday.

That’s how important this reservoir is. Losing La Mesa is losing 1.5 million liters supply of drinking water. That ill-fated situation almost happened during the ’90s, when…
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Buri Beach Resort, Puerto Galera

Since I had no vacation this summer of 2007, I decided to repost from my old blog my May 19-21, 2006 vacation. It was my second time in Puerto Galera but my first in Sabang. Prices might possibly changed in a year’s time but I guess the experience will still be the same. Enjoy!

Buri Beach Resort is the perfect hideaway for those seeking peace and tranquility. The resort overlooks the Batangas channel, away from the hustle and bustle of the major resort beaches, but within easy reach of all.

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Paco Park Cemetery

As a kid doing channel surfing in search for afternoon cartoon shows, I always happen to see this show called “Paco Park Presents”. At first, I thought Paco Park was just one of the parks in Manila like that of Luneta. That is why I was surprised to learn that Paco Park was actually a cemetery before it was converted into a national park in 1966 during the term of President Diosdado Macapagal.

It also surprised me that there are couples who actually choose Paco Park, a used-to-be cemetery, as their wedding venue. However, my quick visit to the place answered all my questions and confusion.
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San Agustin Church and Museum

I managed to visit the San Agustin Museum and Church on one lazy Sunday afternoon. I decided not to talk much about the historical facts and backgrounds about the place since they are easily accessible on the web. However, I do want to stress out two points on why you should not fail to visit this place:

One, the San Agustin Church is the oldest church in the Philippines. Built between 1587 and 1606, it has survived a number of earthquakes and wars and is the only building left intact after the destruction of Intramuros during the 1945 Battle of Manila.

Two, the San Agustin Church, together with three other ancient churches in the country (2 in Ilocos and 1 in Iloilo), was designated as part of the World Heritage Site “Baroque Churches of the Philippines” in 1993 by UNESCO.

Cameras are either prohibited or allowed with no flash depending on the museum sections. Below are some of the pictures I managed to take. Click the image to enlarge.

NOTES:

1. The trompe-l’oeil painted ceiling of the church, chandeliers and pulpit dating back to the XIXth century, and four of the fourteen side chapels.
2. Father Manuel Blanco is regarded as the “prince of Botany” for pioneering in the study of medicinal plants in the Philippines. This bronze monument was made by Amado Castrillo.
3. Fray Blanco carried out most of his experiments at this monastery garden which was destroyed in 1945 and restored in 1991.
4. The main staircase is made of 44 pieces of Chinese granite stones brought in Canton in 1780. It is topped by a perfectly round stone dome covered with light bricks. Here hangs XVIIIth and XIXth century paintings.
5. The crucifix dates back to the XVIIIth century.
6. Part of the 68 choir seat carved in molave with fine inlays.

The San Agustin Church is located in Calles Gen Luna and Real in Intramuros and is open daily from 8am to 12nn, then at 1pm to 6pm. Entrance fee is at 80 and 50 pesos for adults and students, respectively.

For more photos, visit Pix.E.Log.

Thank You, Miss Julia Campbell

It is now confirmed. The body found buried in a shallow grave on a dried-up creek in Batad Wednesday morning was that of US Peace Corps Julia Campbell. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to her friends and family.

I have no knowledge about Miss Campbell prior to the reports that she had gone missing while on a trek to Banaue last April 8. What I know about her now, I all learned from the reports following her disappearance.

News reports revealed that she was a hard working volunteer. Testimonies of the people she touched attests to her kind heart. Her pictures showed a lady with a radiant face, a striking smile, and a lover of life. It saddens me deeply that death caught up on you on the hands of a local from the land you have learned to love.

In your life, you have brought joy, encouragement, and hope to those people you have helped. In your death, you have inspired and touched us strangers who came to learn of your life. Thank you for sharing your life with us Filipinos.

To know more about Julia, visit Julia In The Philippines.

2007 World Light Expo

Last April 1, we went to see the World Light Expo located on the junction of Roxas Boulevard and Coastal Road. Compared to the all inclusive price of PhP300 last February, entrance for adults are now PhP200 with a separate fee of PhP100 if you want to see the Harbin Ice and Light Festival. Originally, children below 4-feet are priced PhP200 and free of entrance for 3-years old and below. This might have changed as well.

The World Light Expo boast of a production cost of US$ 6M, employing a gross staff of 10,000 persons over a production period of 2 years. Designers from Philippines, Korea, China, and Italy used around 2 million bulbs in it.

Main attractions of the expo includes:

• Harbin Ice and Light Festival, An Ice World of minus 18 degrees Centigrade
• A Replica of the 1st Qin Emperor’s Terracotta Army, One of the World Top 7 Mysteries
• China Government-certified Circus Performance
• Korean Folk Paper made (Hanji) Dolls by Ms. Hyong-suk Lee
• A Water Screen Laser Show and Fireworks (starts around 8:30pm)
• Dance Festival with World Top Korean B-Boy Group

Schedule of performers are posted on the ticket booth. There are also a number of inflatable playgrounds for the kids and some snacks you can buy inside the facility.

The 2007 World Light Expo is open from 4pm to 12mn and will run up to the 22nd of April only, so you only have less than 2 weeks to go see it. This event is also for the benefit of Pangarap na Lupa Foundation, Children with sight impairments. For inquiries, you can call (02) 482-5067 or check out their website.

For more photos visit my photoblog.

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