A Balut Affair to Remember

A Balut image grabbed from bing images.

A balut or balot is a developing duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten in the shell. It is commonly sold as streetfood in the Philippines. They are common food in countries in Southeast Asia, such as Laos (khai look ໄຂ່ລູກ in Lao, Cambodia (pong tia koon ពងទាកូន in Cambodian)^[1] and Vietnam (trứng vịt lộn or hột vịt lộn in Vietnamese). They are often served with beer says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_%28egg%29.

On Manny Pacquiao's Taxable Income

Recently the issue of PDAF, DAP, Janet Lim Napoles and anything related thereto, has been clouded by the order of garnishment issued by the Court of Tax Appeals on our very own boxing hero Manny Pacquiao's bank account.

What is this all hullabaloo about?  I hope this simple insight would give us any idea and information so as not to be misled by what are fed to us.  After all, the issue of Manny Pacquiao is also the issue of a common Filipino.

Manny Pacquiao.  A photo grabbed from AFP File Photo.

REPUBLIC ACT No. 10591: AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE LAW ON FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION AND PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF

In case you do not know, I have posted herein the new law providing for a comprehensive law on firearms and ammunition and providing penalties for violations thereof. This law provides for a graver penalties to those who possessed unlawfully the firearms.  This is basically to inform all the people who wish to visit and be informed and kept updated. Credit goes to http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2013/ra_10591_2013.html. 

An AFS Escapade at Tuka Beach

Gwen and her Ate Camille do the awkward pose.

It is located at the relatively untouched coastline of Kiamba, Sarangani Province.  It is just a two-hour  drive from the bustling city of General Santos City.  There are available vans for hire at Bulaong Terminal of the city to transport any tourist willing to exploit the verdant scenery of Tuka.  It would only cost 200 pesos for a back and forth fare.  Upon reaching the municipality of Kiamba, you may tour around its simple and yet semi antiquated municipality.  Why I call this semi-antiquated?  It is because of its old houses that were built as early as during Japanese occupation.

Forestry Ecological Society

Think globally, act locally.

It is one of the most exploited adages nowadays.  A lot of people or groups for that matter are using this as the center of their action or goal.  But not all are serious in animating what this philosophy actually is.

One group that breathes and lives with this principle is Forestry Ecological Society.  The group has actually anchored its mission in this philosophy added with a specific purpose.  As the motto of this group says:  "Think globally, act locally in the conservation, protection and preservation of our natural resources and the environment."

A Child Version of Leonardo Da Vinci

When Gwen was still 4 years old, she was happy already if we gave her a bunch of crayons, coloring books, drawing papers, drawing books, sketch pads, pencils, water colors and anything she could use to draw and paint.

50 Life Hacks to Simplify your World

50 Life Hacks to Simplify your World

Halo-Halo Festival

Halo-halo (from Tagalog word halò, "mix") is a popular Filipino dessert that is a mixture of shaved ice and evaporated milk to which are added various boiled sweet beans and fruits, and served in a tall glass or bowl.

Halo Halo Dessert picture grabbed from the Wikipedia.

Ingredients include boiled kidney beans, garbanzos, sugar palm fruit (kaong), coconut sport (macapuno), and plantains caramelized in sugar, jackfruit (langkâ), gulaman, tapioca, nata de coco, sweet potato (kamote), cheese, pounded crushed young rice (pinipig). In terms of arrangement, most of the ingredients (fruits, beans, and other sweets) are first placed inside the tall glass, followed by the shaved ice. This is then sprinkled with sugar, and topped with either (or a combination of) leche flan, purple yam (ubeng pula), or ice cream. Evaporated milk is poured into the mixture upon serving, says the Wikipedia.

An AFS Experience 2

This is a continuation of my post with regards to our experiences in hosting an AFS scholar.

I have posted herein some photos where our foster daughter Camille Prudent did the first in her lifetime I guess.  This would be her memories that she would never forget here in the Philippines.

It is her first time to wash her dirty clothes, the Filipino style.  Although we have a washing machine here, but my wife taught her how to wash her clothes using her hands.  At first, my wife would rewash what Camille had washed because she felt not contended the way the latter did it.  But now, Camille has already learned the art of handwashing.

Our foster daughter French girl Camille Prudent doing the laundry.

A Pro in the Making

I love taking photos.  They remind me of the memories I have.  Those memories that ought to be captured because they happen only once.  Those memories that would linger in your mind as your thoughts wander.  Those memories that sometime uplift our spirits in the midst of calamity.

Thus, every time I brought with my camera, I would take pictures of anything that interests me much.  I do not care if those pictures could launch a thousand ships.  What matters is I have, in my own little way, satisfied my own senses.

Here are some of the pictures that I captures with my humble camera.  These were not taken with a high-end camera but with an ordinary one.  

The first photo was taken when we visited a family friend in Tupi, South Cotabato.  But they are actually residing in Midsayap, North Cotabato.  She is actually my god child Kyle Almerol.  I was fascinated by the innocence of her smile and her angelic face, thus, I took this shot to capture this priceless moment.

My god child Kyle Almerol flashing an angelic smile.