Down the Rabbit Hole

There was a long and slow traffic queue one morning this week. An ambulance of the PCSO drove past with blaring sirens and flashing lights. Naturally, the drivers of the other vehicles made room for the ambulance... it must have been on its way to, or already carrying, a patient in critical condition.  I caught up with the ambulance at the railroad just past the Calamba City Hall. The patient must be somewhere up the tracks. Good thing the ambulance got there fast, I thought. However, as I was getting past the ambulance, I noticed a passenger, who looked like an MD, buying pako , a type of fern which can be eaten, at a roadside shop; there's no emergency after all! Frankly, I was upset with the EMTs and who appeared to be an MD in that ambulance. Kuya, mahiya-hiya ka naman. Wala palang emergency e. Ginamit mo pa ang ambulansya para mag-shopping sa tabing kalye. Tsk. The "no sirens" policy of President Aquino allows emergency vehicles such as ambulances, poli...

This is Wile E. Coyote without the humour. Kids, don't try this at home. Please. Dream of something else. Don't waste your life on nothing.

I never realised that people in the highlands are affected by melting glaciers. This video is an eye-opener for me. Brought to us by the United Nations.

If I can't be one of them, I'll just read about them. I am amazed with the amount of risk and effort photographers take to get that single shot that lands on the covers of magazines and newspapers. Since I'm treating photography as a hobby and a leisurely pastime, I'm content to continue dreaming of having even just one of my photos (or of me... kahit singit lang sa picture) featured in the National Geographic Magazine.  Here are some great photos of photographers who I am a fan of (this list will grow, as I discover the people behind my favourite photos). These photos are not arranged in any particular order. ( http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/08/03/entertainment/doc4c51d2689409d123999593.txt ) I saw a feature on Discovery Channel about how the great white shark captures seals off the coast of Seal Island in South Africa. In this photo, shark expert and photographer Chris Fallows had taken position on a "seal sled" to be as close a...

My hunt for business attire began earlier than I expected. Skirt suits. I was limited to getting conservative pieces, with conventional palettes and silhouettes. My golden brown patterned pantsuit (the first I ever bought specifically for a conference), I thought, was a bit on the edgy side of business formal, and might not be appropriate. My bright pink skirt suit wouldn't work either. So I decided to go on a suit expedition. First attempt, Makati City on a Saturday. I had to check out the foreign labels (like Marks and Spencer, Zara, and Mango) after giving up on the bigger department stores. Defeated at the end of the day, I was almost willing to pay double of my budget if I could get skirt suits with the perfect fit (why pay more and then have the pieces altered?). However, I didn't find the perfect skirt suit. Bummer. With the deadline closing fast, I decided to check out SM City Calamba during the following workweek. To my total surprise, I was able to find j...

Rating: ★★★★ Category: Movies Genre: Independent The story followed the first encounter and the development of friendship between a deaf dancer and a hearing rock musician. They could not have been more different. The deaf was abandoned as a child and grew up under the care of his special education teachers; the rocker lived with her parents who didn't seem to care about her. She took her private school education for granted; he was striving to get a good education. He longed for his biological family; she preferred to be in the company of her friends. Though different, they found that music, or the absence of aural perception of it, bound their lives together. A beautifully depicted story. I want to watch it again!

I don't know where it is, but I sure don't want to be caught in traffic there!!

Yep, Calamba now has its very own SM City. There were a lot of people in the mall, Anna observed, as she went there to check out the shops in the afternoon. I then decided to visit, and buy groceries, during the last shopping hour, figuring that most of the first-day visitors would've left. I got there at around 8.30pm, pleasantly surprised that the traffic wasn't jammed at the side entrance (the Calamba-Los Banos stretch of the National Highway). I bet however, that I wouldn't be able to say the same thing about the Real Road (where the main entrance is located). A lot of people were still inside, looking in the shops, but most people leaving the mall carried plastic bags from the supermarket or from the department store. Obviously, in this part of the province, the eco-friendly bag has yet to gain popularity (but I'm sure with the SM campaign for the use of the green bag, it will become a regular thing in Calamba). The mall isn't too different from the oth...

The service advisor at Honda Sta Rosa informed me on Monday morning that my car's repairs were finished!!! Yey! So I went there to get the car on Tuesday morning, raring to drive it again on the expressway and up the Jamboree road in Los Banos. Eager to drive off, I hurriedly checked the car: New rear windshield... check! Compartment door... check! Car seat... check! Side mirrors... check! Rearview mirror... check! Tires... check! Starting the engine... ay, ayaw?!?... one more time... ayaw pa rin! Hmm. My car wouldn't start; I asked the staff to check it out. Apparently, the battery died while the car was "confined". But not to worry, one service advisor said, after a jump start, the battery would be back to normal.  He was so wrong.  I was able to drive all the way to Los Banos (via the national road), and even made a stop at a bank. Then I went to a gas station inside UPLB to refuel. As I was leaving, the car battery died again! The h...

Oct 9, 2010. Viel, my niece, celebrated her first birthday and her entry in to the Christian world. Ate Madie and I took over picture-taking duties, giving us perfect excuses for hounding the chocolate fountain. =)

The backyard is getting a makeover! =) greener in the coming days... thanks to the flower and garden show in UPLB.

Rep. Tieng has filed House Bill 2136, also known as "An act to prohibit and penalise reading, composing, and sending electronic messages while driving, and for other purposes", on August 3, 2010. Philippine lawmakers have finally recognised the road safety risks arising from drivers being distracted behind the wheel.  In the US, Oprah Winfrey has launched the "No Phone Zone" campaign this year (and has famous people supporting it). Several states have already passed laws banning texting, using the phone, and using headsets to handle calls while driving. Other countries in Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa also have laws in effect.  I'm glad that the Philippine Congress is taking steps to curb the dangers of having distracted drivers on the road, following the footsteps of other nations. The Metro Manila Development Authority has expressed its support for this bill, while Makati and Quezon City have already passed ordinances totally banning the use of...