After stuffing ourselves with all the Thanksgiving turkey, my family and I decided to burn some calories by going to the Christmas tree farm. This was the first time we cut our own tree, and it was so much fun.

Words cannot describe the tragedy in Maguindanao. We all know that politics in the Philippines is dirty and violent, but this is beyond every Pinoy’s imagination. Many have been mum in disbelief that humans were capable of this horror, let alone a generally good-natured Filipino.

The news and the images circulating around the press and the internet not only presents our country to more embarassment and prejudice, but also neglects the need for privacy and comfort of the families of those who perished. Furthermore, it can further traumatize the already bruised and beaten sense of safety and innocence.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has finally signed into law the “Anti-Hentai” bill last Wednesday. Republic Act No. 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 penalizes offenders with one-month imprisonment to life sentence. The offender will also pay a fine of P300,000 to P5 million, depending on the gravity of the offense. (1.00 USD = 46.8096 PHP as of 11/21/2009)
The law defines child pornography as “any representation, whether visual, audio or written combination thereof, by electronic, mechanical, digital, optical, magnetic or any other means, of a child engaged or involved …

(Photo Credits: Pasyalera)
I read the article that ran today: RP tourism competitiveness slips five notches which said:
The country last year occupied the 81st spot among the more than 130 countries included in the study. This year, the country fell five notches to No. 86.

Its bad enough that the infrastructure in the North have been battered by Ondoy and Pepeng, then here comes the bad news on tourism. But let me leave that infrastructure and standards for them to figure out. For me, goodwill is important. Image is everything. Priority-wise, if …

…in a very long time since my children were born.
My wife and I decided one Monday that it is time to leave the kids and go on a date again. So we left the boys with the babysitter and planned to go to the the casino. But the casino wasn’t the romantic place we were looking for. It was dirty and there was just too much smoking going on. We left just five minutes after arriving smelling like cigarettes.
We then decided to eat lunch downtown in Tacoma. The search for …

More or less seven hundred balloonists representing one-third of the world’s countries gathered together on October 3 – 11 to launch their colorful flying machines  over in Albuquerque (the biggest city of New Mexico) landscape. This is a must-do annual event here in New Mexico. Hundreds of thousands of visitors flocked Albuquerque to watch hundreds of hot-air balloons ascend. The City of Albuquerque built a 72 grass-covered acre park just for this event. It started with 13 balloons in 1972, now it is the largest balloon event …

By 2025, as many as one fifth of all animal species may be lost
Growing up in the ghettos of Manila, the biggest “wildlife” I got to see was the rat that ate all my hamsters and scared the badest cats in the neighborhood .  In general, anything that moved and didn’t carry diseases was considered food.  And if it is ”wild”, it’s a delicacy. 
Coming to the U.S., I anticipated seeing neon lights on skycrapers in the vastness of paved metropolis.  And then I ended up in Iowa…
My wife introduced me to …

If our country is truly on its way to be 1st World by 2010, why are the pictures like these?!
We are currently flooded by all these heart-wrenching images but it is what it is. And what you’re seeing is the AFTERMATH.
We will rise again. We will.
Please donate also to our Barrio Bayanihan for Ondoy Victims. Check it out here.
We would like to thank everyone who joined our Fund Drive. It is now over 57,000 Philippine Pesos or over 1,000 US dollars. Thank you for you support and donations!
Here are …

There are lots of creative Pinoys or should I say artists waiting for their moment to be known to the public. But it’s a sad realization that our country doesn’t give that much of attention to Arts. Instead, they pay more attention on how to steal money from kaban of the masa and how to use it to their personal endeavors. But I will not pour my heart out on this issue, instead lets talk about on how to help artists get some exposure through the web.
Cebu streets have been …

There is a super typhoon looming around in the Pacific area, specifically in the Saipan and Guam area. The name is Choi-wan. Although right now, this typhoon is not a direct threat to the Philippines, it is still humongous in size. Nakakaloka as in sa laki.
Here is the picture of that typhoon coming from NASA:

You can view the picture here in full size.
For a radar image of the storm from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam (Typhoon Choi-wan), click here.
Here is another satellite imagery (microwave) of the typhoon. As of …

I’ve been away for 18 years and I can say that I don’t know my own Province.
Since coming home in 2006…I’ve started discovering the place.
Though I haven’t seen the whole place, still I’m surprised with what I see in the city.
For one, there is this Museum of Sorsogon Province:

Huwag nyo ako tanungin kung ano ang nasa loob ng museum dahil hindi ko pa napapasok ang isang yan. Totoo nga yata ang kasabihang ikaw ay dayuhan sa sarili mong bayan.
Ngayong nakatira na kami sa city during weekdays…nagtanong ako kung …

In Chiz Escudero Country: Why is Sorsogon City, a City? It’s One Tricycle City! Sorsogon became a city in 2000. Consequently, 28 barangays of the former municipality of Bacon has to join in as barangays of Sorsogon City.
To this day, I am not convinced that a 3rd class city of Sorsogon is now considered a city.  Today, Sorsogon City is one tricyle city.
Compared to other beautiful, developed cities of the Philippines, you decide how Sorsogon City compares:

corner of Robertson’s Department Store and Supermarket
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I just wasn’t able to take a picture along this road near my barrio siete that is under construction. There’s this big billboard saying “Proyekto ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo”. Including a big picture of her.  You know…like a Bench endorser. It’s just that she isn’t in her underwear. He he.

Typical of any barrio siete right? Especially that the 2010 Election is looming ahead.
Sa totoo lang, wala namang diperensya ang road na yan. Nung March yata eh nagsimula silang mag-bakbak, patche-patche pa.
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Commercial muna tayo dito sa Barrio…..
I did concede to one common suggestion of some people that I have to try shooting another kind of subject aside from flowers. Masunorin po talaga ako.
So here it is, nakakita ako ng butiki sa kisame este sa kahoy. Kinausap ko siya na maging model ko at magpose para sa akin. Buti nalang at pinagbigyan niya ang kahilingan ko. I didn’t know that butikis are so photogenic pala. Tingnan niyo…

Ganda niya, di ba? At may props pa siyang bulaklak! Bonggaciousness!
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Wildflower has been the subject of my photography, lately. Dito sa States, sosyalan ang mga names ng mga flowers like forget-me not, apple blossoms, columbine,wild praire rose, magnolia, paintbrush,etc. This one I took is named blue-eyed daisy  :

And this one is the ever popular sunflower:

Hindi pahuhili ang mga taga-barrio! Sa talahiban, makikita mo ang iba’t ibang di-pangkaraniwang bulaklak gaya ng:
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