Chinese New Year

Today is chinese new year. Many chinese all throughout the world are celebrating it. They do this to thank their god and to look forward to a better tomorrow. We have been awed by the mystique culture of the chinese. This celebration had been going on for several centuries and our chinese friends continue observe it and the culture is handed down from generation to generation. So many countries in the world have chinese communities and that includes of course my country the Philippines. In fact in every province of the country one can find a solid chinese commuinty who usually control the trade and commerce making them influential members of the society. A lot of them have also embraced our filipino culture and most of them are considering themselves as chinese-filipinos no longer pure blooded chinese coming from mainland China. The fact that they have contributed so much to the advancement of our country, it is also about time that our government should create policies or laws that would observe major chinese acitivity so that this can be preserve and appreciated by other races. Since China has become a powerhouse in world economy then probably it is about time that Filipino students should start learning the language of the Chinese which is the Mandarin. I may not be able to write so many things about the Chinese culture but for me it is about time to strengthen our relationship with our oriental brother known as China.

Biking to different places

This morning I went biking to Joroan Tiwi, Albay which is a coastal barangay and overlooking the Lagonoy gulf where most fishers from the province would catch their fish. The said barangay is around 21 kilometers from my home. Many bikers from the different towns and cities of Albay would visit the said place for a few reasons. One is that there is a church in that place and many believe that the statue of the saint in there is miraculous. Another is that the road going to Joroan is a good training ground for bikers since there are uphill climbs which require a lot of stamina in conquering it. Third is the scenic view of the gulf which will really awed you as you traverse the winding road of that place.
Since my recovery from the compression fracture of my vertebra I decided to ride on my bike again and visit many beautiful places of the province of Albay. I really enjoy biking especially when I am with my fellow bikers whom a consider as my new set of friends. I have upgraded my bike so that i can compete with them the fun way but i no longer entertain the idea of seriously competing in cycling tours. My stamina and endurance may no longer guarantee a first place finish. I have change some of the local parts of my bike with Shimano genuine parts and I have observe that the performance of my bike has improved a lot. Using genuine parts have advantages which cannot be felt when using faked or local parts as we call it.

Revived

It has been more than a year that I have not posted in my blog. I got tired of doing so but just the same I decided to do blogging again so that I can continue on improving my skills in writing and at the same time would have a strong reason to keep on opening the internet. So many things had happened in my life the past months and some of them are worth remembering and be posted in my blog. Last summer I went to Catanduanes to implement a research study on the gleaners of the sad province but apparently I met an accident while going to Puraran Catanduanes to see the surfing area being visited by surfer enthusiasts. It took me 6 months to recover and I have to undergo therapy to strengthen my vertebra for there was compression fracture in the lumbar due to the accident. Another important event was the wedding ceremony of my sister-in-law whereby the whole family attended the said affair. It was the first time that I wore a suit and my kids teased me that I looked so handsome and appeared to like an honorable congressman. Most memorable was achievement of my eldest daughter who finished her degree in Psychology at the University of the Philippines, the most prestigious university in the country. Right now I would bike together with my friends every weekend to improve my health and my physical apearance. Hopefully I will be able to sustain the activities that i am undertaking this year....

SCUBA Diving in Bacon

Last month I went SCUBA Diving with my friends from Bicol University Legaspi city in Bacon Sorsogon. I was quite hesitant to join them because my perception was that there are no beautiful dive sites in the said municipality. My perception was real wrong. There are beautiful dive sites in the said municipality. The dive sites that we visited were Pagol, Sta. Lucia, Osiao and the declared marine sanctuary of the municipality. Among the dive sites the fantastic ones were Pagol, Osiao and the sanctuary. Many live corals were seen in those three places and different species of fishes and invertebrates were also present. It was such a fulfilling dive again for the view underwater were so amazing. I hope that someday I could dive again in the said municipality.

The coral reef community is one of the fragile communities for it will also be affected by the global warming that is threatening almost all of the corners of this planet. As reported by the marine scientists of the country there is already an accumulation of carbonic acid which will destroy the exoskeleton of the corals and eventually kill the coral habitat. Although mitigating measures are being implemented globally yet a large portion of the coral reef habitats are already facing destruction brought about by global warming.

Gathering Strawberry

One of the places that I have visited together with my family while in Baguio City is the well known strawberry farm. Actually this strawberry farm is located in La Trinidad Benguet which is an adjacent town to Baguio City. The farm is a 15 minute ride from Baguio City if you are renting an automobile. In the farm one is allowed to pick the fruits that you intend to buy. In fact I did it and my two teen age kids were laughing at me because they thought that I was a little boy so enthusiastic to pick fruits. The farm gate price

of the fruits was quite cheap and many tourists also were there to avail of the affordable price of the fruits. Aside from picking fruits one can also buy other souvenir items because opposite the farm are many stalls selling other items that can be bought at a very reasonable price. In fact one can haggle for a discounted price. What makes the strawberry grow vigorously in the said town is the sufficient presence of water which is vital to the survival of any plant. Without water plants would tend to wilt and eventually would die. So if you intend to engage in planting as a hobby be sure that water is sufficiently available. By the way strawberries grow in colder places and at high altitudes like La Trinidad town.

Waterworld: Travel to Vigan

Waterworld: Travel to Vigan

Landscapes

I’m lucky to have explored some wonderful diving sites in a tropical country. In our latest diving stint the weather was good we were able to photograph interesting water creatures specially corals. I was awed with such amazing waterscape. Terrestrially, there are also fascinating natural landscapes. Some of these you can view aerially while on flight. However, for personal enjoyment we can always have our place landscaped. There are specialists who can maintain the appropriate ornamental plants suited to any pervading climate in a particular area. Just like in Arizona where there is a great variability in weather condition. It can be abnormally dry or wet, right now its 8O°F in Arizona. Thus, achieving such wonderful Arizona landscapes is truly a challenge.