Blog Action Day: Save our Coral Reefs and Seas

If you have not heard of the recent debacle on our southern sea front yet, the one where a double city-sized reef were damaged, then I reckon you're not using the internet well. I don't have a television nor do I subscribe to dailies, but since I'm pretty much online 16/7 (yes, I sleep), I read and am made aware of this recent tragedy. Twitter and Facebook are social networking sites that can be really powerful (and useful) mediums when they deliver this type of news.

This is a serious business. It's not something that should be just shrugged off and forgotten after two weeks of talking about it. My God how many millions of marine lives have they killed because of corporate profit? I shudder at the thought of the ecosystem that they screwed by harvesting those corals.

From savephilippineseas site:

"Exploitative foreign firms, in tandem with local partners and left unchecked by irresponsible government officials, are illegally harvesting and peddling our precious coral reefs. In one case, coral reefs twice the size of Manila was destroyed, and the plunder continues."

I haven't seen all of Philippines' marine ecosystem, heck I'm not even halfway yet, but one thing that I can attest and be proud of is that we really have an awesome, AWESOME marine environment that many people will die to have and to see.

As a citizen of this country, let us do our part in preserving our seas. For the leaders, please don't let something like this happen again. There are rules, you should be firm in following it, iron-fisted if necessary. Do not let big time international companies bully or cheat on us. We want the future generation to inherit a rich marine ecosystem so that they too, can experience the treasures that can be found under our territorial waters.

A sample of what's down under. Top left: Clownfish in Pulo Diyot, Bantayan Island, Cebu; live corals on Apo Island, Dumaguete; huge colorful fish in Marine Sanctuary, Mabini, Batangas; and various fishes and corals in Atuwayan Beach, Coron, Palawan

1, 2, ... 10 JUMP!

On my third time to the incredible place up north we all call Sagada, I finally had the guts to take that 20 feet plunge. My goolay! I'm not a good swimmer at all, but the thought of falling on a 17 feet deep basin didn't scare me at all kasi alam kong aangat at aangat ako and from there I'll paddle like hell na lang. What scared the shit out of me was what I saw while peering down. Where I stood, down below seems awfully far, mataas ang 20-foot drop ha.

Kailangan ng maraming lakas ng loob para iangat ang paa mo at tumalon. If you're on the top and about to do it, I swear you will hesitate on your first try. Or your second, and third and so on. But of course, if you have a bunch of friends urging and cheering you on - telling you that you can do it - it lessens the scare factor. At sa mga pagkakataong ito nagpapasalamat ako that we Filipinos have the "bahala na" factor to guide us in every decision-making tasks we need to accomplish haha.

Thank you Bathala for that thrilling experience. Thank You we all came out alive with no fatalities at all. I did it thrice! Though the first 2 was from the shorter drop. The coldness of the water is nothing once you hit it. I suggest you do the same if you find yourself in Bokkong Falls, in Sagada.

Priceless experience.

Tangled

Surprisingly, I liked this movie. Not too grand, just rightly entertaining. Also, I liked Mandy Moore's singing voice here. Her voice came a long way from her Candy voice back then. As for Zachary Levi? He never fails to deliver. It's like Chuck all over. 

The paper lantern scene? I know a LOT of people have already fallen in love with the idea so I won't add to the hysteria anymore but that was a really bright and great idea. If I was the missing kid of the King and Queen, I would feel so loved everyday of my life even if I didn't get to be with them the first 18 years. :D

NBS Free Comic Book Day

Finally, after dragging the half-hearted Cheese to Galleria, each of us scored a comic book! I'm happy na at least nakabawi na ko for the previous time that I didn't make it. Although it kinda sucked cos we were too chicken to ask for the artist/illustrators' sketches haha so we resolved to watching them on the sides. I forgot to take photos of what we got, next time!

Birthday Reunion/Dinner

I would count that night as one of the rare times that the four of us can be together. I was being realistic when I said that having all of us ex-college housemates in a same room is just too improbable at the moment, but having them 3 makes it the closest thing we can ever have as a reunion. At least for now.

These 3 are some of the people I treasure most in my life. We may not be blood related but we're family. I have the greatest and most memorable experiences and memories in college because of them. Good, bad, happy, sad, embarrassing, especially embarrassing, moments. I have waaay too many of 'em hahaha.

Judging by what we're wearing, guess who's made it big? I think you're wrong. From left: Honey, Jog, me and Rocky